======Leach Mining======


<WRAP right box>
**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
\\
**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
\\


**Alternative titles:** Acid Leaching of Copper Ore
</WRAP>

====Summary====                   
{{$demo.summary}}



====Procedure====  
  - Place a small amount of copper carbonate (the model mineral) into a large beaker.  
  - Fill the beaker with fine crushed rock to a few centimeters below the rim.  
  - Prepare an “injection well” by inserting a pencil into a 10 cm plastic tube, drilling a hole down into the rock, then removing the pencil.  
  - Set up a filter funnel in a retort stand above the injection well, and connect the funnel outlet to the plastic tube. Ensure the lower end of the tube is about 0.5 cm from the beaker bottom.  
  - Slowly pour about 100 mL of 0.1M sulfuric acid into the funnel. Allow it to percolate through the crushed rock for about 2 minutes.  
  - Prepare a “recovery well” by drilling another hole using the second plastic tube and pencil, about 0.5 cm from the beaker bottom on the opposite side. Remove the pencil.  
  - Attach a syringe to a thin plastic tube and insert it into the recovery well.  
  - Pull the syringe plunger gently to extract the leachate, and collect liquid in a test tube.  
  - Add an iron nail to the test tube of recovered liquid and observe changes over several minutes.  




====Links==== 
  *None available

====Variations====
  * Try using different acid concentrations to compare extraction rates.  
  * Substitute copper carbonate with another carbonate mineral such as malachite or azurite.  
  * Use different metals (e.g., zinc, iron) for the recovery step to compare displacement reactions.  
  * Repeat the process using vinegar as a safer weak acid alternative for younger students.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Wear safety glasses and gloves at all times.  
  * Sulfuric acid is corrosive, handle with care and rinse spills immediately with water.  
  * Do not inhale fumes or touch acid-soaked materials.  
  * Dispose of copper-containing waste as directed by your instructor or local regulations.




====Questions to Consider====
  * What part of the setup represents the ore body, leach solution, injection well, and recovery well?  
  * How does this model demonstrate the process of leach mining in real-world operations?  
  * What chemical reaction occurs when sulfuric acid reacts with copper carbonate? (CuCO₃ + H₂SO₄ → CuSO₄ + H₂O + CO₂)  
  * What happened when the iron nail was placed in the blue copper sulfate solution? (Copper metal was displaced and deposited on the nail.)  
  * How could the copper recovered from the leach solution be purified in an actual mining operation?